Lora Viola is a member of the academic council and co-hosting the event. The program also includes a panel on tranatlantic relations.

The climate emergency, war in Ukraine, and the COVID-19 pandemic have all profoundly impacted the European policy landscape. Concurrently the fourth industrial revolution raises questions about how we organise our society, economy, and politics, and whether the EU’s digital regulatory framework will continue to lead global trends. This conference examines several key areas of European policymaking to ask where the future of policy does and should lie in response to such challenges.

The pandemic exposed the fragility of global supply chains and the war in Ukraine raises significant challenges regarding energy security and grain supplies. As Europe strives to achieve economic autonomy while pursuing climate neutrality, how can the EU effectively maintain value-based trade, promote the circular economy, and ensure that the energy transition is achieved in a socially just way with the commitment and participation of European citizens? How will EU enlargement policy evolve in response to internal rule of law breaches and the applications of Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine for membership? With the current increase in projected vote share for far right and Euro-sceptic parties in the 2024 European Parliament elections, will the EU’s efforts to bridge the democratic deficit and encourage participatory democracy be enough, and what more can be done? How do we create a fairer and more just Europe for all, that recognizes the importance of migrant and agricultural labour, and empowers rural, as well as urban communities?

See the program here.